A Sweet Revelation
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: She had a plan. A perfect plan for a sweet revelation. Now if only he would cooperate.


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: She had a plan. A perfect plan for a sweet revelation. Now if only he would cooperate.

A/N: This story is a part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe. Enjoy!

 **A Sweet Revelation**

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14 Snowbrice 1014

I smoothed my hands over my gown, feeling the delicate lace overlay catch slightly against my calluses. The gown felt a little tight to me. I cast another critical glance at my reflection. It seemed all right. The sleeveless silver gown still looked as beautiful as the day I had worn it for my wedding. I ran my hands over my hips one last time before forcing myself to move on. I was rather counting on the Kentauri being gobsmacked when he saw me once more in my wedding gown. But, just to make sure I receive the proper amount of flattery, appreciation, and, yes, outright admiration, I needed to add one more touch. I had already dismissed the silver tulle cape I had originally worn with the gown. But, I was certain that the Kentauri would be equally appreciative of my next choice in adornment.

I ran a brush through my hair, carefully fluffing out the gold and white locks framing my face. No extra braids or any adornments aside from a rose nestled just behind my left ear. Oreius liked it when I added a flower…probably because he was usually the source of the flowers, but still I knew he liked it. Opening my jewelry box, I bypassed a number of the trinkets he had given me. This was a very special night. I wanted a very specific image. I opened the case that had officially started us on the long road to marriage and smiled as I withdrew the silver oval pendant formed by silver everlasting knots that cradled an amethyst teardrop. I put the necklace on and then added the earrings. I looked at my reflection critically.

"If you don't drop at my feet and kiss them in adoration, Kentauri, I think I'll be miffed," I murmured to myself. I smoothed my hands over my stomach as I cast a glance at the waterclock. It was nearly ninth hour. The Sweethearts' Day Ball had been in full swing for three hours. Oreius had promised to spend the evening with me. He had to be back soon.

I didn't have long to put the rest of my plan in order. A quick peek into the darkened sitting room proved that Leeta had obeyed my last request and banked the fire. Once I went in and shut the doors to our bedchamber, the room would be completely dark. Perfection!

Keeping an ear open for the Kentauri's approach, I hurried to check the table. Everything was there. The candles waiting to be lit. I hissed in annoyance as I realized I had forgotten a rather essential item. A quick trip back into the bedchamber to fetch the necessary match. Couldn't dazzle Oreius if I didn't have a way to light the candles. I had blown out all but the candle set furthest from the doors in our bedchamber, so the sitting room was completely enveloped in darkness when I shut the bedchamber doors. Okay, maybe that hadn't been my best plan…

I stood perfectly still a moment. My pulse was roaring in my ears and I was painfully aware that the doors could open at any moment. Still, I ought to know my own sitting room well enough to get into position without having full night vision. If I didn't, I would have to talk to Tuulea.

The smells wafting from the covered plates of food guided me more than memory, which is kind of sad but I wasn't going to turn my nose up at it. I caught the sound of heavy hooves on marble. This was it. I smothered a grin as I assumed my position at the far end of the table and then waited. I held my breath as the main doors opened. The huge, dark silhouette of a Centaur blocked out the light from the hall for a brief moment before he closed the doors. I had to appreciate that Oreius valued privacy over being able to see.

I heard him take another step forward and then stopped. I shifted forward slightly as I raised the lighted match and then lit the first candle. A quick glance at the Kentauri proved there was the slightest curve of his mouth as he watched me. I moved to the next candle and lit it. "No questions?"

The Kentauri chuckled that time. "It seems we are not going to attend the ball tonight." He paused, looked me over, and then added drily, "Unless I have misinterpreted your actions, Wife."

I grinned and shook my head. "No, Husband, you have not. Tonight is solely for us." I was definitely not sharing his attention tonight of all nights.

"I see."

I tried not to laugh or to give away that I was excruciatingly aware of the way he was watching me, looking me over slowly from head to toe. I forced myself to focus on lighting the last candle and then blew out the match.

"You are wearing your wedding dress."

Ding, ding, ding! Twenty points to the Master General of Observation. I suppressed the instinctive comeback and just glanced down at myself before nodding. "Yes, I am."

Oreius wasn't nearly as appreciative as I would have preferred as he continued studying me, or at least my attire. "I thought you intended to keep it as an heirloom."

He wanted to discuss my choice in apparel? Ugh, why couldn't he just appreciate it? Suspicious Generals were such a pain to impress with spontaneous romantic gestures. I carefully hid my slight annoyance as I responded simply, "It is already an heirloom and I do still intend to pass it down when the time comes." Unless, of course, I muss it while strangling him.

Did the Kentauri smile, nod, and then proceed to be belatedly but appropriately awed by my stunning presence? No, of course not. Because that would be far too easy. Instead, he _frowned_ at me. He also flicked his tail, universal sign of Centaur puzzlement, uneasiness, or irritation. Wonderful. "Then why are you wearing it?"

Now, was it truly necessary for him to use the "I think my wife has lost her marbles for good this time" tone? No, it wasn't.

I clasped my hands in front of me and offered a dazzling smile. "In honor of our anniversary."

He wasn't dazzled.

"This is not our anniversary."

Aslan preserve my patience, I _was_ going to strangle him! He was supposed to be appreciating me, not interrogating me! And if he couldn't remember this anniversary, I was going to brain him with the nearest object. A frown appeared as I lost the battle to keep my smile. "Oreius, it _is_ an anniversary for us. Have you forgotten already what happened six years ago today?"

"No."

Succinctness should be outlawed.

He was ruining my plan. Just by being the General. Annoying creature. I crossed my arms, too exasperated to even try hiding it. "All right, then tell me what this is an anniversary of."

Maybe his husband self-preservation switch finally flicked on because my blockheaded Stallion abruptly closed the distance between us and reached out to take my left hand. I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to mess up again. His fingers caressed mine as he raised my hand and murmured, "It is the anniversary of the day you accepted my proposal to join our lives together." He placed a kiss against the betrothal ring adorning my forefinger and then caught my gaze as he added in a deep rumble, "I am still the most fortunate Centaur to be so blessed by your acceptance."

Okay, so he could make up for blockheaded suspicious tendencies. Lucky for him. I refused to let him see how easily he affected me…if only because I desperately needed to remember my original plan. Still, I did smile at him. "Better."

Oreius smiled back at me but didn't try to kiss me. See, this is why I question his ability to appreciate romance. He looked at the table I had set with a nice but modest feast. "Your surprise?"

"Part of it." I hadn't gotten to the best part yet. Still, as he led me over to the Greco-Roman style chaise lounge, I had to appreciate the fact that he wasn't insisting we go down to the ball for even a few minutes. Once we were both settled against the raised arm, I leaned up to brush my lips against his before adding sweetly, "Now that you've quit glaring at the Greybacks long enough to actually appreciate my efforts."

The Kentauri chuckled. "I see I have been neglecting you." A faint glimmer of amusement appeared in his dark eyes as he added, "Should I apologize?"

One would think he knew the answer after five and a half years of marriage and about seven years of being in a relationship. I raised both eyebrows at him. "If you have to ask, you probably should."

To his credit, a very fortunate turn of events, Oreius responded by looking me over again and then reached out to run his hand over my arm. A shiver ran down my spine as his fingers traced up my arm, shoulder, and neck until he was cupping my cheek. I leaned into his touch as his thumb caressed my cheek. "Then, I apologize for neglecting you. It was very foolish of me," he rumbled. See, this was how husbands were supposed to keep themselves out of hot water. "However, I am still puzzled as to why you are wearing your wedding gown for the anniversary of our betrothal." Aaaaand, he's heading back for warm waters.

Rolling my eyes, I had to laugh. I pulled away from his touch as I countered, "And, I'm puzzled as to why you didn't decide to just appreciate it. Suspicious creature." I tapped a finger against his collarbone as I admitted, "I had been planning to do this for our fifth anniversary, if you must know; however, since it turned out that we weren't together, it seemed better to reschedule. And I picked tonight."

And this was where he was meant to praise my thoughtfulness, romanticness, and general breathtaking beauty (it's Sweethearts' Day, I should hear the praises). My Centaur, of course, chose the dense route…again. "Why not our actual anniversary in Greenroof?"

It was all I could do to keep from indulging in a facepalm. Or, maybe smacking him upside the head. But that wouldn't be romantic. I wanted romantic, special, and memorable. Why wasn't he cooperating?

I pretended to consider it and then shook my head. "Because who knows if I'd be able to wear this gown then. No, I like my plan better."

Oreius raised a single eyebrow. "Why would you not be able to wear your gown?"

See, that time I knew he was going to ask me. I smirked at him. "Oreius, out of the five anniversaries we've passed, how many times have we had to fight for our lives or been separated so that we had to place a-"

"Storm voucher. Yes, that has happened a few times."

I bit back a laugh at his version of 'rain check' but couldn't keep my lips from twitching. I needed a moment before I could add, "More than a few considering we've only celebrated our anniversary properly and on time twice."

"That I can fix," Oreius intoned with grave confidence…rather amazing considering our record.

Unable to resist poking at him a little further, I had to reply. "You will try."

Closing the scant distance between us, Oreius kissed me then drew back a hairsbreadth before he whispered, "I will succeed."

He just might at that.

He reached past me to pour wine into a goblet and then offered it to me. My stomach churned at the mere thought of consuming any and I immediately held up a hand while shaking my head in mute refusal. Oreius immediately frowned, concern entering his gaze as he set the goblet back down. "You are still ill?" He didn't even wait for me to respond before he continued, "Have you gone to see Tuulea or Alithia?"

Not quite the conversation direction I had wanted. He still hadn't expressed his awe of me appropriately, after all. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as I helpfully reminded him, "Alithia is still on leave since having Althea, who is more adorable by the day."

Oreius fixed me with a stern look. Apparently mentioning the adorable baby filly wasn't going to distract him. Using his I'm-the-General-and-everyone-obeys-my-orders voice, he rumbled, "I want you to go see Tuulea."

I knew he was going to say that. I took a deep breath and then leaned back against the couch as I twisted slightly to look Oreius directly in the eyes. "I had tea with her this morn."

That seemed to surprise him. "You did?" He paused, eyes searching mine, before a new thread of hesitation entered his voice as he asked, "And what did you talk about?"

"Many things." An unbidden smile rose as I recalled everything we had discussed. The main motivation for intending to surprise my Kentauri with a very private Sweethearts' Day celebration. It wasn't quite how I had planned, but I couldn't wait much longer. I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together, as the news bubbled out. "Oreius, I'm pregnant."

He stared at me without saying a word. Then his gaze dipped down to my stomach, which wouldn't give any hint to my condition for a while longer. "You are with child," he repeated in a slightly stunned voice. His gaze flickered from my stomach to my face back to my stomach before finally settling on my face as he asked softly, "You are certain?"

I nodded, cheeks aching from my smile but I didn't care. "Yes, it's early still but I asked Tuulea to examine me this morn and she confirmed my suspicions."

He didn't speak. I knew it was the result of our unlooked-for answer to the prayers for our family. I decided not to tell him that I had promptly burst into tears when I finally heard the news I had been yearning to receive for so very long. Tuulea had cried with me even as she laughed and then murmured prayers of thanksgiving to Aslan for us both.

Oreius abruptly claimed both hands in a tight grip and raised them to his lips. "Our child." He pressed fervent kisses to my hands as he spoke, intense feeling etching its way into his voice. "Praise Aslan, a foal."

I blinked back the burning sensation in my eyes. Smiling at him, I couldn't help a little bit of teasing. "You're pleased with your Sweethearts' Day present then?"

"Of course." Before I could respond, he drew me into his embrace and kissed me speechless, not to mention breathless. We were both breathing harder when he finally broke the kiss. I had absolutely no complaints with that. Oreius rested his forehead against mine, our breath mingling, as he held onto me. "I could not be happier, Alambiel." He smiled as his hands came up to cradle my face. "Praise Aslan, we will add a foal to our little herd."

I laughed softly. He hadn't asked the most important question. "Don't you want to know when to expect the newest member of our herd?"

Oreius drew back, looking rather stunned. I bit back another laugh. "When…" he breathed. Yup, he was completely overwhelmed. He shook his head slightly and then breathed, "Yes." He blinked and then everything seemed to catch up as he exhaled. "I do. When will the foal be born?"

"Late summer, late Sunbend or early Twirleaf." I could hardly believe my words. We were having a baby.

"Ah." Oreius nodded. He looked down at my stomach again and then smiled. "And the little one is why you will not be able to wear your wedding gown on our anniversary."

I'm quite thrilled with his ability to do math. I grinned at him. "I think we can forgive that, don't you?"

"Most assuredly." He suddenly clasped me close again before he eased back just enough to rest his hand on my stomach. He smiled. Not the faint or half-smiles. No, it was a true, honest-to-goodness smile that was wide enough to nearly split his face in two. Rarer than diamond raindrops. Excitement and joy shone in his dark eyes as he murmured, "Aslan has kept His promise. We are going to have a foal."

I laughed again and wrapped my arms around his neck. "We are!" Unable to completely hold my tears at bay a moment longer, I pressed my face into the crook of his neck.

Oreius held me close a little longer until the first hot tear rolled down my cheek to splash against his skin. He drew back and gently forced my chin up. "Alambiel, why?"

I laughed even as more tears slipped down my cheeks. "They are happy tears, I promise." Ignoring politeness and abandoning a search for a handkerchief before it had even begun, I simply wiped my tears away. "We're going to have a baby, Oreius."

He caught a tear with his finger and wiped it away. I closed my eyes at his touch. Words finally failed me. I couldn't hope to even begin to explain all the emotions churning inside as relief, hope, joy, fear, and indescribable awe coursed through me. All centered around a new life too tiny to even be felt. For now. That would change soon enough.

Oreius drew me back into his embrace as more tears slipped free. We clung to each other for a long while, the Kentauri whispering prayers of thanksgiving and praise to Aslan as well as the occasional request for protection over me and our foal. Our foal. The mere thought was enough to both terrify and thrill me.

Eventually, however, I was able to calm my emotions enough to pick over our meal. Oreius kept an arm around me as we ate. I took a bite of the chocolate cake and then glanced at him. "It will be difficult to top this Sweethearts' Day, won't it?"

He chuckled. "This is without a doubt the most memorable Sweethearts' Day we have shared."

"More memorable than our engagement."

"Yes."

I enjoyed the slightly wary glance I received upon answering with silence. Maybe a little more than I should have…but who's judging? I took another bite of cake. It tasted different somehow. But not in an unpleasant way, thank Aslan. I hadn't been able to even look at the plate of venison. Oreius had removed the dish to our shared study with a promise of eating it later.

"Perhaps. It is hard to best the announcement of a new foal."

"There is always the birth of a new foal."

I rolled my eyes. "Perhaps we should have this foal…in _autumn_ before we start talking about babies born on Sweethearts' Day."

"My apologies. I did not intend to imply your gift this day was anything less than wonderful." Oreius looked contemplative as he added softly as if to himself, "There is much to do to prepare for autumn."

Well, I was definitely going to end up dragging him to bed after rooting him out of the study. And who knew how much effort that was going to take. I was exhausted just thinking about it.

Time for a distraction. I patted his hand and pronounced with a very benevolent smile. "I forgive you."

Oreius looked at me, utter bewilderment etching across his expression. "What have I done?"

It was cruel of me to enjoy his confusion and possible panic (not that he would ever admit to the latter). What can I say? I have a slight cruel streak. I patted his hand and then sighed. "Well, I put on my wedding dress and wore the jewelry you gave me when we first began courting and you didn't even notice."

"I noticed."

"Not enough obviously. I mean you didn't even drop at my feet to kiss them in adoration."

Oreius looked at my feet. I obligingly raised one foot and wiggled it. I felt his laugh rather than heard it that time. However, his voice and expression were appropriately solemn when he turned back to me. "I do not kiss anyone's feet, Alambiel. Even yours."

"You don't like them?"

"No, they are quite pretty. Even if they cannot be described as the dainty hooves of a Centauress."

Was I just insulted? I felt insulted. "Did you just call my feet large?"

Oreius paused then said with careful deliberateness, "No. That is not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"What I meant was they are quite pretty feet. That is all."

"Yes, you said that but then you compared them to a Centauress' dainty hooves and I don't feel like it was a very complimentary comparison either."

"Ah."

Oreius didn't say anything else for a full minute before he abruptly stood. He came around to my side of the chaise lounge and drew me to my feet. I raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to now?"

"I am in awe of you." He kissed my fingers. "I adore you." He turned my hands over and kissed my scars. "I cannot live fully without you by my side." He kissed my wrists. "Beloved wife, do you not know you are the only one who rules my heart?" He kissed my collarbone. "The enchantress who has captured me so thoroughly in her spells that I could not endure without the knowledge of your love." He kissed the hollow of my throat. "The temptress who makes my blood turn to fire with a barest glance." He kissed just below my ear then breathed, "The one who now graces me by carrying my foal." He traced his lips across my cheek. "Sweetheart, what would I do without you?" He drew back and added, "May I never know that answer." Then he kissed me until I had to cling to him as my knees buckled.

He finally broke the kiss. We were both breathing hard. He smiled down at me and brushed a far lighter kiss over my swollen lips. "I have no gift that could match the one you have presented this eve. Nor could I ever hope to do so. However, there is one thing we might do." He drew me around the table and directly into the steps of a dance.

As we danced, I thanked Aslan for blessing me with my husband. And for our coming foal. It was the perfect revelation for Sweethearts' Day.

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 **A/N: Please Read and Review! This oneshot is Alambiel's POV of Chapter 16 of Brightened with a little extra added. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a happy Sweethearts' Day! Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.**


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